Search

Objectives: Surgery through a single port may be less painful because access is supplied by 1 intercostal nerve or more painful because multiple instruments are used in 1 port. We analyzed data collected from the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery group of a randomized controlled trial to compare differences in pain up to 1 year. Methods: Groups were compared in a prespecified exploratory analysis using direct (regression) and indirect comparison (difference with respect to thoracotomy). In-hospital visual analogue scale pain scores were used, and analgesic ratios were calculated. After discharge, pain was evaluated using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires-Core 30 scores up to 1 year. Results: From July 2015 to February 2019, we randomized 503 participants. After excluding 50 participants who did not receive lobectomy, surgery was performed using a single port in 42 participants (predominately by a single surgeon), multiple ports in 166 participants, and thoracotomy in 245 participants. No differences were observed in-hospital between single- and multiple-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery when modeled using a direct comparison, mean difference of −0.24 (95% CI, −1.06 to 0.58) or indirect comparison, mean difference of −0.33 (−1.16 to 0.51). Mean analgesic ratio (single/multiple port) was 0.75 (0.64 to 0.87) for direct comparison and 0.90 (0.64 to 1.25) for indirect comparison. After discharge, pain for single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was lower than for multiple-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (first 3 months), and corresponding physical function was higher up to 12 months. Conclusions: There were no consistent differences for in-hospital pain when lobectomy was undertaken using 1 or multiple ports. However, better pain scores and physical function were observed for single-port surgery after discharge.

Phosphorus (P) is essential for maximizing crop yield, yet many areas dedicated to rice cultivation suffer from a scarcity of plant-accessible inorganic phosphate (Pi) due to its fixation in the soil. Conversely, regions with ample P fertilization often resort to excessive application to compensate for deficiencies, resulting in adverse environmental impacts. While significant strides have been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms governing P uptake capacity (PUP/PAE) and P use efficiency (PUE) in rice, their practical implementation in breeding is impeded by the absence of robust, high throughput phenomics techniques, leading to inconsistencies in gene/quantitative trait loci (QTL) effects. This review underscores the necessity for a comprehensive understanding of Pi transporters, internal Pi remobilization, and root morphology modifications under Pi deficiency, correlating these traits with specific phenotypic markers. Developing precise, cost-effective, high-throughput phenotyping techniques is imperative for creating rice ideotypes with enhanced PAE/PUE. Additionally, we explore the potential of meta-QTL analysis in prioritizing genomic loci related to PUE, utilizing a “meta-genome” encompassing diverse rice reference genomes. We also delve into the potential in the development of phosphite (Phi)-tolerant rice, aiming to reduce dependence on P fertilizers and create herbicide-resistant rice through Phi-based fertilization. Finally, we discuss the utilization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to enhance P uptake in rice.

Phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) is a complex trait, governed by many minor quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with small effects. Advances in molecular marker technology have led to the identification of QTLs underlying PUE. However, their practical use in breeding programs remains challenging due to the unstable effects in different genetic backgrounds and environments, interaction with soil status, and linkage drag. Here, we compiled PUE QTL information from 16 independent studies. A total of 192 QTLs were subjected to meta-QTL (MQTL) analysis and were projected into a high-density SNP consensus map. A total of 60 MQTLs, with significantly reduced number of initial QTLs and confidence intervals (CI), were identified across the rice genome. Candidate gene (CG) mining was carried out for the 38 MQTLs supported by multiple QTLs from at least two independent studies. Genes related to amino and organic acid transport and auxin response were found to be abundant in the MQTLs linked to PUE. CGs were cross validated using a root transcriptome database (RiceXPro) and haplotype analysis. This led to the identification of the eight CGs (OsARF8, OsSPX-MFS3, OsRING141, OsMIOX, HsfC2b, OsFER2, OsWRKY64, and OsYUCCA11) modulating PUE. Potential donors for superior PUE CG haplotypes were identified through haplotype analysis. The distribution of superior haplotypes varied among subspecies being mostly found in indica but were largely scarce in japonica. Our study offers an insight on the complex genetic networks that modulate PUE in rice. The MQTLs, CGs, and superior CG haplotypes identified in our study are useful in the combination of beneficial alleles for PUE in rice.

Abstract Successful cultivation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in many Asian countries requires submergence stress tolerance at the germination and early establishment stages. Two quantitative trait loci, Sub1 (conferring submergence tolerance) and AG1 (conferring anaerobic germination), were recently pyramided into a single genetic background, without compromising any desirable agronomic traits, leading to the development of Ciherang-Sub1 + AG1 (CSA). However, little research has been conducted to enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress (submergence) and biotic stress (rice blast), which occur in a damp climate following flooding. The BC2F5 breeding line was phenotypically characterized using the AvrPi9 isolate. The biotic and abiotic stress tolerance of selected lines was tested under submergence stress and anaerobic germination conditions, and lines tolerant to each stress condition were identified through phenotypic and gene expression analyses. The Ciherang-Sub1 + AG1 + Pi9 (CSA-Pi9) line showed similar agronomic performance to its recurrent parent, CSA, but had significantly reduced chalkiness in field trials conducted in temperate regions. Unexpectedly, the CSA-Pi9 line also showed salinity tolerance. Thus, the breeding line newly developed in this study, CSA-Pi9, functioned under stress conditions, in which Sub1, AG1, and Pi9 play a role and had superior grain quality traits compared to its recurrent parent in temperate regions. We speculate that CSA-Pi9 will enable the establishment of climate-resilient rice cropping systems, particularly in East Asia.

Inverters are playing an increasingly important role in the electrical utility grid due to the proliferation of renewable energy sources. Obtaining inverter models with accurate parameters is, therefore, essential for grid studies and design. In this paper, a methodology to estimate the output impedance and parameters of a residential grid-tied inverter is proposed. The methodology is first verified through simulation. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the influence of the filter and controller parameters on the output impedance of the inverter. The simulated output impedance, voltage, and current are used in a parameter estimation methodology to obtain filter and controller parameters. It is shown that up to seven parameters can be estimated accurately. The proposed methodology is further investigated through a practical experiment. Two perturbation sources, the pseudo-random binary sequence perturbation and pseudo-random impulse sequence perturbation, are used, in turn, to perturb a residential grid-tied inverter that delivers up to 1.6 kW with the aim of obtaining its output impedance. The output impedances obtained through both pseudo-random sources are compared. It is shown that a pseudo-random binary sequence perturbation source applied in series between the grid and the inverter under test allows for the best estimation of the grid-tied inverter’s output impedance. A black-box modeling approach aimed at estimating an analytical transfer function of the output impedance from experimental data is also discussed.

Water and phosphorus (P) fertilizer are two of the most critical inputs in rice cultivation. Irrigation and chemical fertilizers are becoming limiting factors under climate change and urbanization, which is leading to significant losses in yield. The Pup1 quantitative trait locus (QTL) confers tolerance to P starvation through enhanced early-stage root vigor and P uptake in indica rice grown in the tropics. Whether the QTL works in temperate rice genetic backgrounds grown in temperate regions remains to be elucidated. To address this question, we introgressed the Pup1 QTL into three temperate rice varieties—MS11, TR22183, and Dasanbyeo—using marker-assisted backcrossing and high-density genotyping. The selected lines all harbored the full Pup1 QTL with recurrent parent genome recovery rates ranging from 66.5% to 99.8%. Under the rainfed and P non-supplied conditions, Pup1 introgression lines did not show clear advantages over the recurrent parents in terms of vegetative growth and grain yield per plant, but exhibited enhanced yield responses to P application, except in Dasanbyeo, which a temperate rice that is genetically similar to indica. Our results suggest that Pup1 confers enhanced P uptake in temperate rice and that the efficacy of Pup1 might depend on the subspecific genomic background of the rice, whether it is japonica or indica.

Robotic thoracic surgery for pulmonary lobectomy was introduced at our unit in 2015, along with enhanced perioperative patient care pathways. We evaluated the effect of this practice change on short-term outcomes. Data on all adult patients who underwent a lobectomy in our unit between 2015 and 2019 were obtained retrospectively from our surgical database. Patients fell into three groups: conventional open surgery via thoracotomy, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS). Survival was defined as survival to discharge. Our cohort included 722 patients. Three hundred and ninety-two patients (54.3%) underwent an open operation, 259 patients (35.9%) underwent VATS surgery, and 71 patients (9.8%) underwent a robotic procedure. Comparing these surgical approaches, there was no statistically significant difference in the overall incidence of post-operative complications (p = 0.15) as well as the incidence of wound infections, arrhythmias, prolonged air leaks, respiratory failure, or ICU readmissions. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in survival to discharge (p = 0.66). However, patients who had a VATS procedure were less likely to develop a post-operative chest infection (p = 0.01). Evaluating our practice over time, we found a decrease in the overall incidence of post-operative complications (p = 0.01) with an improvement in survival to discharge (p = 0.02). In our experience, VATS lobectomy was associated with a lower incidence of post-operative chest infections. However, the limitations of our study must be considered; factors such as patient selection that may have had a substantial impact. The culture change associated with adoption of a VATS and robotic surgical programme appears to have corresponded with an improved survival to discharge for all lobectomy patients, irrespective of surgical approach. Perioperative care may therefore have a more significant impact on outcomes than technical considerations.

This paper studies the architectural implications, in terms of size and space requirements, of battery technologies in a built environment using renewable energy and energy storage technologies. These aspects will be of particular interest as the world transitions to a low carbon future. This paper is the first to focus on the physical size of storage systems required to provide particular storage characteristics. The research used a quantitative case study methodology and focused on the investigation of nine battery technologies based on potential technology and energy consumption scenarios in 2030. Different residential building scales at a local distribution scale are explored considering sub-daily autonomy periods. Four case studies in a 2030 scenario are presented. For each case study, the nominal capacity, spatial requirements and costs are assessed for each technology. A schematic characterisation of the technologies was derived considering their suitability across these aspects as well as their applicability at different scales. The study showed that the architectural implications of the spatial and structural requirements are significant in some cases and negligible in others, with Li-ion and Zn-air technologies having minimal space requirements.

This study investigates the factors affecting distance learning for Physical Education students. It used a descriptive method and a survey questionnaire using a google form to gather the data of the thirty-three second-year students. Results revealed that the said students have low motivation in doing their tasks such as assignments, reports, assessments, demonstrations, and oral recitation. In the perception of the students in terms of social presence and social interaction, they were dissatisfied when it comes to online discussions, conversing, interacting, participating, and speaking online. The students also preferred face to face mode of learning and this implies that future researchers should conduct and make a program that will help to make the students motivated in distance learning. The school administration especially the Bachelor of Physical Education department should implement more strategies and programs to increase the level of motivation, social presence, and social interaction of the students in today's distance learning due to the pandemic condition. The Commission on Higher Education should reduce and limit the number of students in each class as to approve the limited face to face class for the Physical Education students so that they may be able to do the task with proper execution and can be a big impact on the level of motivation, social presence and social interaction of the students, especially that these students preferred face to face mode of learning than online learning.

Current conceptions view professions as negotiable, transient territories which are shaped by the discourses that describe them. The voices which influence how a profession evolves arise from both within and outside it. Theories on professionalism have been rigorously applied to teaching and academia. Learning Development exists within both spheres, yet its complex growth patterns have resulted in a fragmented and less theorised sense of professional identity. The rationales which create and fund Learning Development roles lean towards a model of fixing ‘deficits’ in students and their work; meanwhile, Learning Development’s professional association, ALDinHE, rejects those same deficit premises. In this article, using a theoretical framework and terminology from Evans (2008; 2011), I analyse the differences between those states of professionalism ‘demanded of’ and ‘enacted by’ Learning Developers. By coding various external and internal documents which frame job roles, I deduce how the two ‘professionalisms’ interact to resolve their inherent tensions; I identify a point of coalescence around Learning Development as a niche for mediation and demystification. I also explore how Learning Developers believe their profession can best evolve and sustain, via community-internal voices in literature and a survey of 14 ALDinHE members. Findings suggest that Learning Development remains a unique and valued activity, to which professional identity is attached. However, a precise sense among the ALDinHE community of what ‘equals’ a professional Learning Developer remains debated. More coherent is the community’s wish to see its values (Learning Development) permeate across the wider higher education landscape.

An overall increase in inflammatory cytokines with age in both the blood and the central nervous system (CNS) has been proposed to explain many aspects of ageing, including decreased motor function and neurodegeneration. This study tests the hypothesis that age-related increases in inflammatory cytokines in the blood and CNS lead to facial motoneurone degeneration. Groups of 3-5 female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3 months, 12-18 months and 24 months were used. Twelve cytokines (IL-1α, IL-β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, I L-13, TNFα, IFN-γ and GM-CSF.) were measured in blood plasma and compared with those in the brainstem after first flushing blood from its vessels. The open-field test was used to measure exploratory behaviour and the morphology of the peripheral target-muscle of facial motoneurones quantified. Total numbers of facial motoneurones were determined stereologically in separate groups of 3m and 24m rats. Ageing rats showed a significant 30-42% decrease in blood plasma (peripheral) concentrations of IL-12p70 and TNFα, and a significant 43-49% increase in brainstem (central) concentrations of IL-1α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and TNFα. They also showed significant reductions in motoneurone number in the right but not left facial nucleus, reduced exploratory behaviour and increased in peripheral target muscle size. Marginal age-related facial motoneuronal loss occurs in the ageing rat and is characterised by complex changes in the inflammatory signature, rather than a general increase in inflammatory cytokines.

Colored rice is rich in nutrition and also a good source of valuable genes/quantitative trait loci (QTL) for nutrition, grain quality, and pest and disease resistance traits for use in rice breeding. Genome-wide association analysis using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is useful in precisely detecting QTLs and genes. We carried out genome-wide association analysis in 152 colored rice accessions, using 22,112 SNPs to map QTLs for nutritional, agronomic, and bacterial leaf blight (BLB) resistance traits. Wide variations and normal frequency distributions were observed for most of the traits except anthocyanin content and BLB resistance. The structural and principal component analysis revealed two subgroups. The linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed 74.3% of the marker pairs in complete LD, with an average LD distance of 1000 kb and, interestingly, 36% of the LD pairs were less than 5 Kb, indicating high recombination in the panel. In total, 57 QTLs were identified for ten traits at p < 0.0001, and the phenotypic variance explained (PVE) by these QTLs varied from 9% to 18%. Interestingly, 30 (53%) QTLs were co-located with known or functionally-related genes. Some of the important candidate genes for grain Zinc (Zn) and BLB resistance were OsHMA9, OsMAPK6, OsNRAMP7, OsMADS13, and OsZFP252, and Xa1, Xa3, xa5, xa13 and xa26, respectively. Red rice genotype, Sayllebon, which is high in both Zn and anthocyanin content, could be a valuable material for a breeding program for nutritious rice. Overall, the QTLs identified in our study can be used for QTL pyramiding as well as genomic selection. Some of the novel QTLs can be further validated by fine mapping and functional characterization. The results show that pigmented rice is a valuable resource for mineral elements and antioxidant compounds; it can also provide novel alleles for disease resistance as well as for yield component traits. Therefore, large opportunities exist to further explore and exploit more colored rice accessions for use in breeding.

Perinatal infection is a well-identified risk factor for a number of neurodevelopmental disorders, including brain white matter injury (WMI) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The underlying mechanisms by which early life inflammatory events cause aberrant neural, cytoarchitectural, and network organization, remain elusive. This study is aimed to investigate how systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation affects microglia phenotypes and early neural developmental events in rats. We show here that LPS exposure at early postnatal day 3 leads to a robust microglia activation which is characterized with mixed microglial proinflammatory (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes. More specifically, we found that microglial M1 markers iNOS and MHC-II were induced at relatively low levels in a regionally restricted manner, whereas M2 markers CD206 and TGFβ were strongly upregulated in a sub-set of activated microglia in multiple white and gray matter structures. This unique microglial response was associated with a marked decrease in naturally occurring apoptosis, but an increase in cell proliferation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus. LPS exposure also leads to a significant increase in oligodendrocyte lineage population without causing discernible hypermyelination. Moreover, LPS-exposed rats exhibited significant impairments in communicative and cognitive functions. These findings suggest a possible role of M2-like microglial activation in abnormal neural development that may underlie ASD-like behavioral impairments.

Post-mortem brain investigations of schizophrenia have generated swathes of data in the last few decades implicating candidate genes and proteins, the relation of these findings to peripheral biomarker indicators and symptomatology remain to be elucidated. While biomarkers for disease do not have to be involved with underlying pathophysiology and may be largely indicative of diagnosis or prognosis, the ideal may be a biomarker that is involved in underlying disease processes and which is therefore more likely to change with progression of the illness as well as potentially being more responsive to treatment. One of the main difficulties in conducting biomarker investigations for major psychiatric disorders is the relative inconsistency in clinical diagnoses between disorders such as bipolar and schizophrenia. This has led some researchers to investigate biomarkers associated with core symptoms of these disorders, such as psychosis. The aim of this review is to evaluate the contribution of post-mortem brain investigations to elucidating the pathophysiology pathways involved in schizophrenia and psychosis, with an emphasis on major neurotransmitter systems that have been implicated. This data will then be compared to functional neuroimaging findings as well as findings from blood based gene expression investigations in schizophrenia in order to highlight the relative overlap in pathological processes between these different modalities used to elucidate pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In addition we will cover some recent and exciting findings demonstrating microRNA dysregulation in both the blood and the brain in patients with schizophrenia. These changes are pertinent to the topic due to their known role in post-transcriptional modification of gene expression with the potential to contribute or underlie gene expression changes observed in schizophrenia. Finally, we will discuss how post-mortem studies may aid future biomarker investigations.

Restorative/protective therapies to restore dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) are greatly needed to effectively change the debilitating course of Parkinson's disease. In this study, we tested the therapeutic potential of a neurogenic neurosteroid, allopregnanolone, in the restoration of the components of the nigrostriatal pathway in MPTP-lesioned mice by measuring striatal dopamine levels, total and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neuron numbers and BrdU-positive cells in the SNpc. An acute treatment (once/week for two weeks) with allopregnanolone restored the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive and total cell numbers in the SNpc of MPTP-lesioned mice, even though this did not increase striatal dopamine. It was also noted that MPTP treated mice to which allopregnanolone was administered had an increase in BrdU-positive cells in the SNpc. The effects of allopregnanolone in MPTP-lesioned mice were more apparent in mice that underwent behavioral tests. Interestingly, mice treated with allopregnanolone after MPTP lesion were able to perform at levels similar to that of non-lesioned control mice in a rotarod test. These data demonstrate that allopregnanolone promotes the restoration of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons and total cells in the nigrostriatal tract, improves the motor performance in MPTP-treated mice, and may serve as a therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.

The molecular mechanisms for the discrepancy in outcome of initiating estrogen therapy (ET) around peri-menopause or several years after menopause in women are unknown. We hypothesize that the level of expression of a dominant negative estrogen receptor (ER) β variant, ERβ2, may be a key factor determining the effectiveness of ET in post-menopausal women. We tested this hypothesis in ovariectomized nine month-old (an age when irregular estrous cycles occur) female Sprague Dawley rats. Estradiol treatment was initiated either 6 days (Early ET, analogous to 4 months post-menopause in humans), or 180 days (Late ET, analogous to 11 years post-menopause in humans) after ovariectomy. Although ERβ2 expression increased in all OVX rats, neurogenic and neuroprotective responses to estradiol differed in Early and Late ET. Early ET reduced ERβ2 expression in both hippocampus and white blood cells, increased the hippocampal cell proliferation as assessed by Ki-67 expression, and improved mobility in the forced swim test. Late ET resulted in either no or modest effects on these parameters. There was a close correlation between the degree of ERβ2 expression and the preservation of neural effects by ET after OVX in rats, supporting the hypothesis that persistent elevated levels of ERβ2 are a molecular basis for the diminished effectiveness of ET in late post-menopausal women. The correlation between the expression of ERβ2 in circulating white blood cells and brain cells suggests that ERβ2 expression in peripheral blood cells may be an easily accessible marker to predict the effective window for ET in the brain.

Tissue microarray (TMA) is a high throughput analysis tool to identify new diagnostic and prognostic markers in human cancers. However, standard automated method in tumour detection on both routine histochemical and immunohistochemistry (IHC) images is under developed. This paper presents a robust automated tumour cell segmentation model which can be applied to both routine histochemical tissue slides and IHC slides and deal with finer pixel-based segmentation in comparison with blob or area based segmentation by existing approaches. The presented technique greatly improves the process of TMA construction and plays an important role in automated IHC quantification in biomarker analysis where excluding stroma areas is critical. With the finest pixel-based evaluation (instead of area-based or object-based), the experimental results show that the proposed method is able to achieve 80% accuracy and 78% accuracy in two different types of pathological virtual slides, i.e., routine histochemical H&E and IHC images, respectively. The presented technique greatly reduces labor-intensive workloads for pathologists and highly speeds up the process of TMA construction and provides a possibility for fully automated IHC quantification.

SUMMARY: Gibberellins (GAs) play crucial roles in regulating plant architecture and grain yield of crops. In rice, the inactivation of endogenous bioactive GAs and their precursors by GA 2‐oxidases (GA2oxs) regulates stem elongation and reproductive development. However, the regulatory mechanisms of GA2ox gene expression, especially in rice reproductive organs, are unknown. The BEL1‐like homeodomain protein OsBLH4, a negative regulatory factor for the rice OsGA2ox1 gene, was identified in this study. Loss of OsBLH4 function results in decreased bioactive GA levels and pleiotropic phenotypes, including reduced plant height, decreased grain number per panicle, and delayed heading date, as also observed in OsGA2ox1‐overexpressing plants. Consistent with the mutant phenotype, OsBLH4 was predominantly expressed in shoots and young spikelets; its encoded protein was exclusively localized in the nucleus. Molecular analysis demonstrated that OsBLH4 directly bound to the promoter region of OsGA2ox1 to repress its expression. Genetic assays revealed that OsBLH4 acts upstream of OsGA2ox1 to control rice plant height, grain number, and heading date. Taken together, these results indicate a crucial role for OsBLH4 in regulating rice plant architecture and yield potential via regulation of bioactive GA levels, and provide a potential strategy for genetic improvements of rice. Significance Statement: GA 2‐oxidases (GA2oxs) play crucial roles in regulating plant architecture and yield by inactivating endogenous bioactive GAs and their precursors, but the regulatory mechanisms of GA2ox gene expression remain unclear. This study identifies that OsBLH4, a member of the BEL1‐like homeodomain proteins, acts upstream of OsGA2ox1, modulates endogenous bioactive GA levels, and regulates stem elongation and reproductive development in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]